Los Angeles journalist Rachel Menitoff sparked viral reactions after a cockroach crawled across her. Menitoff was in the middle of a live report when the insect showed up. However, it was the LA reporter’s reaction to the awkward on-air moment that sent the clip flying across social media.
Rachel Menitoff kept reporting from Sherman Oaks as a cockroach crossed her neck
KTLA 5’s Rachel Menitoff became a viral sensation on Wednesday, July 15, after a late-night report was interrupted by an uninvited visitor.
During her live update from Sherman Oaks on Tuesday night about the ongoing heat wave, a cockroach appeared to land on Menitoff’s stomach before making its way across her neck and chest.
However, what sent the clip spreading across social media, though, was Menitoff herself. Her quick, unfazed response as the insect jumped onto her microphone and then flew off had viewers applauding her poise and professionalism.
“And it’s a lot more comfortable at this hour, but we’re still in the 80s here in the Valley,” Menitoff went on. “So, overnight temperatures aren’t necessarily dropping, and this leads to less recovery time from the daytime heat.”
The following morning, Menitoff’s coworkers shared video of her swatting the insect away once the live broadcast had wrapped. The newscaster’s co-hosts praised her for staying composed during the broadcast, adding that they probably wouldn’t have kept as cool as she did, per Fox News.
“That’s our Rachel Menitoff, who is so professional,” commended anchor Megan Henderson. “She kept her cool. There’s no way I would have been able to keep going.”
Reporter Eric Spillman concurred, saying, “I have to hand it to her. She was really calm.” Meanwhile, meteorologist Kirk Hawkins added, “That’s terrifying. Now we’re all going to have nightmares about flying cockroaches.”
Speaking with KTLA, Rachel Menitoff explained that she could feel the cockroach moving across her, but held back because she was afraid interrupting would derail the live segment. “I said to myself, ‘Just get through this moment and then kind of shake it off,’” she revealed.
